


Betrayal

by MisteryMaiden



Series: And It All Comes Crashing Down [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Mazikeen (Lucifer TV), Betrayal, Big Brother Amenadiel (Lucifer TV), Blood and Violence, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Linda Martin Needs A Raise, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV) Needs A Hug, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV) Whump, Minor Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Post-Devil Face Reveal to Chloe Decker, Protective Amenadiel (Lucifer TV), Rage, Torture, Trixie Decker & Lucifer Morningstar Friendship, Trixie Decker & Mazikeen Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:07:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisteryMaiden/pseuds/MisteryMaiden
Summary: The wine glass didn't break and Chloe didn't change her mind.
Series: And It All Comes Crashing Down [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654117
Comments: 35
Kudos: 710





	Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Instead of sleeping like a sane person who is sick, I wrote this. 
> 
> To those that follow OtWoaA, don't worry, you'll be getting that update soon. I'm just a bit too miserable (fucking Influenza A and a double ear infection) to get the mood right on that update just yet. But as the double ear infection has been two months running (yeah, I'm not having a great time here) I'm now half-time student which means that I have more time to dedicate to writing. 
> 
> So you'll be seeing more updates from me, hopefully.

His soulful eyes and blinding smile nearly convinced her to stop him. To knock that glass of wine from his hands before it had a chance to pass through his lips.

Then she remembered the prone form of Marcus, of _Cain_ , dead one the floor with a monster standing above him. Lucifer had been the catalyst to all of the supernatural nonsense that had followed her around, had put her and her daughter in danger. What if Marcus had decided that Trixie was in the way of earning her affections? What if, because she let the Devil wander the Earth with his demon beside him, her daughter ended up among the dead? Charlotte and Marcus ( _Cain_ a voice whispered in her head, the first murder, the _Sinnerman_ -) were already counted among the deceased. Who else had died because Lucifer had been allowed to walk the Earth?

The doubt faded, replaced by a cold determination that allowed her to stay silent as Lucifer finished off the entire glass of wine. She brought her own wine to her lips and hoped that the alcohol would settle her nerves. She was doing the right thing. Lucifer didn’t belong here, had never belonged here.

_She was doing the right thing._

“Detective?” Lucifer’s voice was slurred, and she turned to face him, attempting to adopt a concerned look.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, the fake concern tasting like ash in her mouth. _I’m doing the right thing,_ she told herself as the feeling of guilt rose in her chest.

Lucifer attempted to stand from the bar, but his legs buckled from underneath him. Chloe moved before she could stop herself, catching him before he hit the ground. “The wine,” he gasped. “There’s something in the wine.”

Chloe allowed her eyes to widen before she glanced over at her own glass. She hadn’t been an actor for nothing, she thought as the guilt surged again. “I’ll call Ella. She’ll run a tox screen on it. Can you help me get you to the couch?”

Lucifer nodded, eyes glazed. “Are you-?” he gasped as they walked.

She shook her head. “I only had a small sip; I should be fine.” _And it wasn’t in my glass, just yours._ “Right now, let’s worry about you.”

She let herself stumble a bit as they walked. No need to make it seem as if she was unaffected when it was supposed to have been the entire bottle. She felt sick, her stomach rolling with guilt. He was drugged to the bone, struggling to stay awake against the sedative she’d put in the wine, and he was worried about _her_.

_Trixie,_ she reminded herself. She was doing this to keep her daughter safe from the supernatural nightmare that she’d found herself living in. How many times had she nearly died because of Lucifer and hadn’t known it? That car accident, the one he had been convinced hadn’t been an accident, was he right? Had something really been trying to kill her back then? How much had happened behind the scenes that she didn’t know about?

Resolve burned in her gut as she feigned struggling to help him on the couch. He was nearly unconscious now and his breathing was shallow. Probably an effect of the sedative’s strength and his supernatural metabolism.

“I’m going to make that call now,” she told him. It wasn’t a lie, really. She just wouldn’t be calling Ella, like she had implied.

She moved to the other side of the penthouse under Lucifer’s dimming gaze. The trust in his eyes nearly made her rethink the entire thing once again but she held on to her resolve. Hitting the contact on her phone, it only took a moment for Kinley to answer.

Lucifer’s eyes were completely closed now and he didn’t stir as she quickly told Kinley the passcode to the back service entrance of the penthouse. She hung up as Kinley informed her that they would be there in five minutes and that it would be for the best if she vacated just before they were there.

Taking a deep breath, she reached into her purse and pulled out the relevant items that Kinley had told her to bring. The remaining vial of sedative, a vial of her blood, and the bullet necklace he’d given her so long ago. The symbol of their partnership. She wasn’t sure what, exactly, the necklace was for, but she knew that she couldn’t keep it. Not after this.

Setting the blood and necklace on the table, she dumped the remainders of the sedative in the wine. They would need an explanation for his disappearance, and she wasn’t quite willing to let everyone believe that he had just left, again. Not when she knew that he’d have remained right here if given the chance. She took her wine and dumped it back in the bottle before quickly cleaning out the glass and wiping it of her fingerprints in the sink. She dried it and made sure to keep her fingerprints from touching the glass. She didn’t need to wipe the rest of the apartment as she was in and out all the time. But keeping them from the glass was important if she didn’t want to be implicated in the resulting investigation.

She hadn’t been feeling well and they’d argued, again, before she left. Everything else remained the same, to keep from making the lie too much. There was only one glass missing from the drugged wine bottle and Kinley would be taking away the only evidence that it had been her who had drugged the wine. To be safe, she’d wipe her fingerprints from the empty vial. She wasn’t stupid, Kinley could easily implicate her with that vial if he wanted to.

_But Lucifer isn’t going to be dying_ , she told herself. _He’s only going to be returning to Hell. He’s the Devil, he doesn’t belong on Earth._

Leaving down the familiar elevator had never felt so much like a finality as it did now.

* * *

Lucifer woke up in pain, his entire body felt as if it was on fire and he choked back a scream as the agony doubled.

Chloe, where was Chloe?! There had been something in the wine, he remembered. She’d only had a sip but had still stumbled as she helped him to the couch. He could hear voices all around him, chanting something that he couldn’t quite make out. The sound was muffled and he couldn’t seem to open his eyes. Was she here? Is that why it hurt so much?

Something collided with his back and he screamed this time, unable to hold it in. He felt his wings unfurl in answer to his pain, glowing a brilliant white that he could make out from underneath his eyelids. He heard that chanting increase at their appearance and with it, the pain.

He was being held up, he realized as the world started to come more into focus. Chains around his wrists kept him upright and, now that he was looking for them, he felt them around his ankles as well. They burned against his skin, hotter than normal metal had any right being. And there it was, the slight thrum of power that signaled these as no ordinary chains.

How had they gotten something like these? They weren’t hell-forged steal, he could tell that much, and they weren’t divine in origin. Binding magic powerful enough to render him helpless emitted from them despite of that. Perhaps his pain didn’t mean that Chloe had been taken after all. She could have merely been knocked out when these men took him and would be under the care of Miss Lopez and the others of the LAPD. They’d be looking for him now, he was sure.

Chloe would never leave him to these people, that much he was positive of. She’d come back and had _accepted_ him, Devil face and all. She still wanted him in her life, despite everything. He had so much he needed to catch her up on, now that she believed him. Everything that had happened in the last few years, the truth about Cain, his Mum, Malcolm. She deserved to know everything, and he would be the one to tell her it all.

He screamed again as another wave of magic crashed over all his nerve endings. It felt as if his very soul was being burned and shredded under the magic that they were working. It had the secondary affect of ridding his body of the foreign agent that had knocked him out to start with.

Eyes opening and his hearing normalizing, Lucifer panted. He was surrounded by a group of chanting humans, all of them watching him and brandishing rosary at him. _An exorcism?!_ Really? This was _his_ body! No wonder he was in this much pain. They were trying to force his soul form his body. That only worked on Demons who had possessed a human, something he’d outlawed millennia ago! He could not be forced from his own body, no matter how much they chanted and waved rosary at him.

That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, however. The magic might not have been able to actually succeed in ripping him from his body but that didn’t mean it wasn’t trying it’s hardest to fulfill its purpose. “Are you all normally this dumb,” he gasped out, incensed. “Or is this a new level of stupidity?”

“Silence, Satan!” a balding man dressed in the official robs of a priest shouted at him. “We will not be corrupted by you!”

Lucifer bared his teeth at the man. He was alarmed to taste the copper tang of blood on his tongue. “Just a question, Padre. Honestly, you lot are proving to be stupider by the minute.” He pushed down the urge to scream as the magic attacked him once more. “This is _my_ body, you nitwits. There’s nothing to exorcise! I was created in this form by my Father. Do you honestly think that your magic to undo the ties placed there by _Him?_ ”

It wasn’t often that he brought his father into a conversation to make a point, well, not unless the point was how much of a manipulative bastard his father was. Judging by the priest and rosary, it would be to his benefit to do so now.

Indeed, his words had caused pause. The chanting stuttered, then stopped, as the gathered people turned to the priest. “Fear not, comrades I have prepared for this possibility. Your help in this matter has been appreciated. I will carry on with the ritual from here on. It is not for the faint of hearts. Let God be with you.”

Perhaps it would have been better to stay silent, he mused. Bringing his Father into conversation rarely worked out in his favor. From the gleam in the head priest’s eyes, it didn’t seem like this was going to be any different.

“And with you, Father.” The sycophants replied before moving to leave. Lucifer took in each face, committing them to memory. He would need to know their faces when Chloe came for him. She’d want him to sit with a sketch artist, no doubt.

Once the room was clear, the Padre reached into his robes and pulled out a silver dagger. Lucifer barred his teeth at the man, daring him to move closer with that dagger.

“I wouldn’t try anything, Devil,” the priest spat. “Those chains will keep you from harming me for as long as you remain in this circle.

Lucifer glanced down. Underneath his knees, he could make out the symbols of a circle. Not a typical pentagram that he would have expected but one drawn out in Enochian, carved into the very floor and filled with what was probably holy water. The poison had him suspecting that this had been premeditated, the pentagram only confirmed it. It would take a lot of work to carve something this detailed into stone flooring, deep enough to fill with holy water while still preventing it from soaking into his pants. Lucifer snarled at the priest, knowing that there would be matching markings on the cuffs around his wrists and ankles. No doubt it was that magic that allowed what should have been ordinary metal to radiate that much power.

There was only one place that they could have gotten such spellcraft. One of his siblings was going to have a lot of explaining to do, that was for sure. If these were powerful enough to keep an Archangel chained, then they could do so to any angel. That sort of power was dangerous alone and in the hands of humans, it could ben catastrophic.

It also meant that there was a good chance that neither Maze nor Amenadiel would be able to find him, which severely limited his current options. Whatever the priest had planned with that dagger, Lucifer didn’t want to find out. Not with celestial magic at play. It would truly be up to the Detective to figure out where these sods had taken him, then.

That meant stalling would be in his best interests. He really didn’t want to see what that dagger could do, not when Enochian magic had been brought into the mix.

“Clever,” he purred, pushing down the rage and panic that wanted to overtake him. The blood tasted foul in his mouth and his joints ached from the magic they’d attempted to use to force his soul from his body however he pushed that down as well. It would not due to focus on things that he couldn’t change, not right now. He had to stall, after all. “You’ve been a busy miscreant, haven’t you? Poisoning one of my wine bottles, breaking into my penthouse, and carving this circle? Color me impressed, Padre.”

Instead of displaying pride or smugness he’d expected, the priest surprised him by laughing. It wasn’t a kind laugh and it twisted his features unattractively. Despite himself, Lucifer was intrigued about what the man was finding so funny.

“Perhaps it’s you that’s the dumb one,” the priest spat at him. Lucifer snarled in response. “Do you really think that I was the one who poisoned your wine? Somehow managed to get the access codes to your service entrance and carry you out with no one the wiser? I see that love is truly blind, even for Satan.”

The Padre pulled out a vial of what looked like blood. “No, I merely provided the poison, sat back, and waited. She came to me, after all. It wasn’t hard to convince her to help with the plan.”

Cold crept up his chest and ringing sounded in his ears. _No…_

“You made it easier, I admit. I wondered how she would get you alone and then you went and invited her to dinner. I couldn’t believe my luck when she told me about the service elevator. I almost thought she’d back out, but she called me once you’d passed out just as planned. The rest, as they say, is history. With the code to the backdoor and yourself unconscious, no one noticed a thing.”

_She wouldn’t._

“She was even willing to leave us a vial of her blood. The blood of the woman that can make the Devil vulnerable and symbol to use as power.” In his hand is a familiar bullet necklace.

_She said we were partners._

“No doubt she’s home with her child, now, safe with the knowledge that you’ll never darken their doorstep again.”

_Please, not her._

“Once I’ve dealt with you, I’ll deal with the demon you brought with you and release the poor soul trapped in that body with it.”

_Mazikeen._

The priest opens the handle of the knife and pours the vial of blood, of _Chloe’s_ blood into it. “Don’t worry, this will be over soon.”

* * *

Something was wrong.

Maze could feel it in her bones, in the depths of her very being. Something was very, very wrong.

It wasn’t just Chloe, though there was that as well. Her lie about the little human hadn’t sat right with her, not really. She wasn’t sure that she didn’t altogether deserve it. She had been horrible to everyone and perhaps an apology alone wouldn’t really show that she was sorry. Linda would probably know what to do.

That thought didn’t settle her knowledge that something was wrong. It made her antsy, not knowing what it was that her instincts were trying to tell her.

Biting her lip, she pushed her way through Lux. If she couldn’t figure out what was wrong, what felt off, Lucifer probably could. If he deigned to talk to her after what she had been doing with Cain. Guilt gnawed at her and she shuddered at the sensation. She was a demon, she scolded herself. She did not feel guilt. She no longer owed fealty to Lucifer, not now and likely never again. There was _nothing_ to feel guilty about.

It rang false even in her head.

Before she could change her mind on her course of action, she ruthlessly punched the button that would take her to the penthouse. The ride up was mercifully short, and she stomped out of the lift before she could talk herself out of this.

“Lucifer!” she yelled as she moved into the penthouse.

Silence greeted her and she froze where she was as the scent of unfamiliar people and fear filled the air, no older than four hours. It had all of her hackles up as she sprinted further inwards, snarling in rage at what she found.

The penthouse was trashed. The bar was destroyed, the furniture was upturned, and glass from broken bottles littered the room. The only thing that remained untouched was a single glass of wine with two empty wine cups. One used and one clean, both smelling of Chloe. She scented the air. Chloe’s scent was older than the unfamiliar ones, though not by much. She’d been gone by the time the interlopers had trashed the apartment.

Maze snarled and stalked to the lone bottle, careful not to touch it before she sniffed. The foul odor of poison mixed with berries filled her nose. Over the smell of Lucifer was _Chloe’s_.

This was not good. Not good at all.

She needed Amenadiel, _now_.

Picking up her phone, she called Linda. The Doctor picked up on the second ring. “Maze? It’s 5 am. What’s wrong?”

“I need you to pray to Amenadiel and tell him to get to Lucifer’s apartment. Now.” She hung up and waited. And waited.

Nearly twenty minutes later, the newly re-feathered angel appeared in a flutter of wings. Opening his mouth, he froze when he noticed the chaos around him.

“What happened?!” he asked, looking around with wide eyes.

Maze snarled. “I don’t know. All I know is that I felt that something was wrong and found the penthouse like this. And this wine,” she pointed at the bottle. “Smells like poison. Poison and _Chloe_.”

Amenadiel sucked in a sharp breath and moved to pick up the wine. He splashed a little of it into one of the glasses and sniffed.

He grimaced at the smell. “That’s a high-level poison,” he told her grimly. “I can smell traces of cyanide, belladonna, and viper venom. This stuff would kill a mortal instantly, but our metabolism would filter out the worst effects. It would still act fast and Lucifer would be out of it for a very long time. Longer if he was around Chloe when he digested it.”

“I can smell her on both glasses and the wine bottle.” Maze told him grimly as rage threatened to send her after the blonde detective.

Amenadiel looked at the glasses and frowned. “There’s no prints on the clean glass, not even Lucifer’s. It’s been wiped clean.”

They looked at each other. “We need to go see Chloe.”

Maze barred her teeth in anger. No matter how furious she currently was with Lucifer, and vice versa, he was _hers._ Her family, former boss, former king, current maybe friend.

No one was allowed to mess with him but _her._

* * *

Chloe was sitting in her living room. She’d tried sleeping but she couldn’t get the image of Lucifer, prone and unconscious, out of her head. Couldn’t help feeling as if she done something horrible, something that she couldn’t fix or take back.

Her resolve had crumbled faster than sand in water the moment she had walked into her house and come face to face with a basket of flowers. An elegant card sat within them; her name scrawled in beautiful handwriting. Handwriting that she’d only ever seen used by her partner. Former partner, she corrected herself. She’d made sure of that the moment he’d drunk the drugged wine.

On the back of the card, she found more elegant writing. _To my dearest partner. Thank you, for everything._

Just like that, she’d crumbled. Tears tracked down her face and sobs filled the air.

It wasn’t _fair_. Why did he have to be the Devil? Why couldn’t he have just been another nutcase with a heart of gold, like she had spent so long believing? It had been so simpler, then. Before Marcus, before _Cain_ , before she learned the truth.

She was just a human. A scared, out of her depth, human who didn’t know what to do when Satan turned out to be a police consultant solving murders. What had he even been thinking, following her around on cases? Once upon a time she would have claimed it was because he was a firm believer in justice being served. Now she couldn’t mash that image with the Devil. What did the creator of evil care about humans murdering each other? What made _her_ so special?

In the end, she’d thrown the flowers away, unable to look at them and keep from sobbing at the same time.

Trixie was gone for the night, a sleepover with a friend from class. Chloe had been relieved at first, as it meant she hadn’t needed to find a babysitter. Now she was glad that she wouldn’t have to look her little girl in the face while knowing just what she had sentenced Lucifer to only a few hours before. What she would be sentencing _Maze_ to, eventually. Without Lucifer, who could keep Maze in line if needed? Chloe wasn’t sure that the demon could keep from going on a rampage.

The guilt rose in her again. Maze had been a good friend and a decent roommate for a while there. Until she’d gone off the deep end in the last few months and seemed to be determined to make everyone miserable.

Chloe didn’t know how long she sat there as the night progressed onwards. She didn’t have a shift tomorrow unless a new body dropped, so she at least didn’t have to worry about going to work with no sleep. The sun was just starting to illuminate her window when a banging came from her door, ripping her back into reality.

Before she could move to answer, the door banged open to reveal the very demon she’d just been thinking about. Stiffening at the rage on the demon’s face, Chloe felt cold drift up her spine. Maze in a true rage was a terrifying thing to behold and currently, that rage was focused on her, judging by the way her eyes flashed upon seeing Chloe.

_She knows._ Chloe thought with a sinking feeling. Why else would she be here? Chloe hadn’t asked her to move back in and Maze hadn’t been back in a rather long time. There was a slim chance that she was here for the rest of her things, though Chloe had a feeling that it wasn’t the case.

“What. Did. You. Do.” Maze snarled, stalking towards her.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Chloe tried, sinking away from the demon and further into the couch.

“DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH ME,” Maze roared. “LUCIFER IS MISSING, THE PENTHOUSE IS TRASHED, AND THERE’S POISONED WINE THAT HAS YOUR SCENT ALL OVER IT!”

Chloe felt her heart jump in her chest. “W-what are you talking about?! What poison?!”

It was a sedative, she told herself firmly. She hadn’t poisoned Lucifer. _It was a sedative!_

“She’s talking about the belladonna, cyanide, and viper venom that was mixed into an open wine bottle,” a male voice said from the doorway. She snapped her head up to see Amenadiel, wearing a dress of all things, looking furious from where he stood.

_He’s an angel,_ she realized with a start before she registered what he’d said.

“It wasn’t a poison,” she whispered as horror stirred in her stomach. Kinley had promised that it was just a sedative.

_And he’s just so trustworthy, isn’t he?_ That inner voice that had been protesting since she’d first met the man in Rome, the same voice that had allowed her to solve multiple cases that had seemed open and shut to the rest of the police force. _How long did it take for him to approach you in Rome? He’d come prepared with those files and he was just oh, so convincing._

She’d been played, she realized with horror. During everything, she’d forgotten that Amenadiel was Lucifer’s brother. The fury in his eyes as he’d asked about the poison was real.

She remembered the look of trust that Lucifer, _poisoned_ by her hand, had given her before she’d just handed him over to Kinley. Looking at the demon and angel before her, Chloe broke.

She told them everything.

* * *

Amenadiel felt ill as the story fell from Chloe’s lips. She was crying, face stained with tears and sobs interrupting sentences at random.

If it had been anything else, he would have felt sorry for her. As it was, he was tempted to smite her where she stood. Maze no doubt felt the same if the appearance of her true face was any indication. The fear that Chloe kept throwing her way did nothing to calm the furious demon down.

It was ironic, he thought to himself. He’d spent so long trying to get Lucifer back into Hell and now he wanted to smite someone who had been planning just that.

This Father Kinley’s days were numbered, that was for sure. Amenadiel had no mercy towards someone that was trying to _kill_ his baby brother. Because the only way to send Lucifer back to Hell against his will was to kill him. And he took great joy in telling Chloe that.

She’d stared at him in horror and broke down into further sobs as the full realization of just what she’d done to his brother set it. He was unsympathetic.

Lucifer was his _little brother_ and this woman who he loved had planned his murder after he’d saved her life. After he had _died_ for her. _Twice._ Had killed their brother to save her life.

“You had better hope that he’s not dead,” Amenadiel told her coldly. “Neither Maze nor I could track him the normal ways, which means he’s either behind some wards or dead and in Hell already. For your sake, pray for the former. “

_And pray that this Kinley’s ritual didn’t cause any permanent damage to him,_ he didn’t say. Chloe sobbed on the couch at his words, looking miserable. Amenadiel vaguely wondered if he’d end up punished for real if he smote her. He was tempted to risk it anyways.

He turned to Mazikeen, who looked like she was considering the same thing. Only more bloody and painful than smiting would be, no doubt. He was inclined to let her act out her impulses before he reminded himself that Chloe might still been needed to get Lucifer back.

And they would get Lucifer back. That was not in question, not when Amenadiel knew exactly what he would need to do. A human had Lucifer and managed to not only bind him but keep him hidden from an Angel specifically looking for him. They could generally hide themselves from each other though that took effort and Amenadiel doubted that Lucifer would be hiding himself on purpose.

_Lucifer_ was hidden but Father William Kinley? Amenadiel had been able to locate him almost immediately. Whatever warding the priest had constructed, he hadn’t bothered blocking off himself. Likely he assumed that no one would know to be looking for him. Holding his hand out to Maze, who took it quickly, he unfurled his wings and took off.

Instantly, the two landed in the middle of horror scene. Lucifer was chained from his wrists and ankles in the middle of a pentagram that thrummed with celestial magic. Now that he was in the same room, Amenadiel could feel the magic blocking out Lucifer in his senses. That wasn’t what truly disturbed him, however. No, it was the bloody carvings across his bare chest, burns spreading from where shackles bound him, and blood dripping from his mouth. That wasn’t what caused his fury to rise to unforeseen levels, however.

His wings were the worst part. They’d been shredded by a blade and were likely the reason for Lucifer’s unconscious state. Amenadiel wanted to throw up and likely would have if he hadn’t been distracted by the priest, bloody knife in hand, walking back _towards_ his little brother. Kinley hadn’t noticed them yet, it seemed.

Before the angel could even move, Maze was already knocking the man into the nearest wall. With another swift move, she broke both his legs.

“Knock him out,” Amenadiel ordered before she could do anything else. “I want to make sure that we won’t need him before you kill him.”

Because this man would die, there was no question in that. His sentence had been sealed the moment Amenadiel had seem Lucifer’s injuries. This had been torture, there was no mistaking that, and it had been done deliberately. Their Father might not have been on talking terms with Lucifer, might still be angry after all this time, but the Lightbringer had always held a special place in the Almighty’s heart. In all of their hearts, try as they might to hide it away and convince themselves that Lucifer was evil.

Maze nodded at him, seemingly understanding just what he was thinking. Going by the bloodthirsty gleam in her eyes, she was more than willing to watch whatever was going to befall the damned priest. And he was Damned, had been the moment he spilled angelic blood with the intent to harm and full knowledge of his celestial victim.

Moving towards the circle with the intent to release his brother, he cried out as fire suddenly burned down his spine and lit his soul of fire. Flinging himself backwards, he panted as blood spilled from his mouth and his body convulsed.

Maze was at his side in an instant, yet he couldn’t hear her voice over the ringing in his ears. All he knew as pain and static.

Then it was just suddenly over, with only a phantom of sensation left behind. He was further away from the circle and Maze was crouched over him. He must have looked bad because she seemed concerned in a way that he hadn’t seen before. Not directed at him, at the very least.

“What was that?” She snapped, noticing his return to awareness. Concern had always further infuriated her, he thought with affection.

“Enochian binding magic powered by celestial grace,” Amenadiel rasped. “He must have gotten a vial of Chloe’s blood, the blood of a miracle. Celestial magic, like that of a blessing, can be powerful when mixed with free will and that blood was most likely freely given to be able to do that.”

Lucifer would be in immense agony, he didn’t say. If walking that close to it had brought that sort of reaction in Amenadiel, being in the center of it would be a thousand times worse. No wonder his brother was knocked out. Pain tolerance can only deal with so much at a time and Lucifer was in bad shape even without that magic around him.

“How do you break it?” Maze demanded, already knowing what he wasn’t saying. Didn’t want to say, as if that would make it any more real than it already was.

“You wouldn’t get close enough to before it recognized you as a threat and eliminated you. Right now, you’ve confused it since you’re infernal and not celestial but that wouldn’t last long enough to get Lucifer out.” Amenadiel struggled to his feet, everything _ached_. “Humans would be even worse off. Kinley would have likely been destroyed if he’d continued on for much longer, as it would be even more baffled by a mortal.”

“Great. Then HOW DO WE GET HIM OUT?” she roared, face flickering between human and demon in her rage.

“I have to go get help,” Amenadiel swallowed. “There’s no other way. If we leave him in there, it could very well have the same effect as Azrael’s sword.”

Maze jerked back, as if injured by the very notion of Lucifer being destroyed forever. Amenadiel didn’t blame her, he felt the same fear coil in his core.

Without hesitating, Amenadiel threw open his wings and flew to the Silver City.

_Please let us have been here in time._

* * *

He knew something was wrong the moment He felt His child return to the Silver City not long after leaving it. Amenadiel was not one to come and go so quickly, nor would he be heading straight towards His office if it was not of great importance.

It was true the He was omniscient, but He always had to be paying attention to everything if He wanted to have it in constant use. It also got boring after a while to know everything that every creature was ever going to do, past and present. So, He switched it off every century or so. With his Miracle interacting with His Lightbringer, He’d decided to keep it off for now. He was looking forward to enjoying the surprises that His Lightbringer always brought with him, magnified by the presence of His miracle.

He debated looking to see what it was that had His oldest in such a frantic flight towards Him, deciding against it after some thought. He’d be better off catching up on what had fully happened after this meeting with Amenadiel, so as to not be distracted.

His eldest didn’t knock as he sped into the room, panting. Concern filled his chest as He wondered what could make his eldest ignore knocking entirely. It was only in the most dire of situations that His children were allowed to disregard that closed door. Judging by the concerned muttering from His other nearby children, they too were concerned about the eldest’s manic flight and disregard for the rules.

“Amenadiel, what has happened?” He asked, not wanting to waste time on waiting for His son to begin. Not when His firstborn was this frantic. He regretted waiting to find out what had caused this behavior.

Instead of verbally replying, his eldest offered a hand. He felt His concern increase once more. It was not often His children decided to share memories with him instead of merely explaining. It was something they’d done a lot with He and She had both been in Heaven and Their youngest had just been born. Once Their youngest had been grown, Their children had preferred to keep their thoughts to themselves for the most part.

Taking the hand, He pulled the memories to Himself. The moment he was shown the image of His son, His little star, His Lightbringer, God felt the world quake with His rage.

“Lead me there,” He ordered. “Now.”

His firstborn turned and flew, God racing after him as the world trembled with his rage.

* * *

Maze wanted to scream and rage and _hurt_ something. She wanted to inflicted endless agony on all those who were responsible for this.

Lucifer was still unconscious, and _she couldn’t get to him_. Despite Amenadiel’s warning, she’d tried to get to him, only to find herself thrown to the other side of the room. Not destroyed like the angel had thought, just repelled violently.

She’d of tried again if not for the scream that had broken from Lucifer’s form. Whatever the magic had done to repel her had further hurt him. She would destroy herself before she brought more pain onto her family if given the choice.

Once, Chloe would have been counted amongst those ranks. She had been growing closer and closer to the blond since they had moved in together. Now, she wanted nothing more than to end the backstabbing traitor where she had stood. Lucifer could be destroyed forever, and it was Chloe’s fault. She had done this, had made it possible for that priest to injure Lucifer like this. Maze had destroyed humans for less.

If not for the little human, nothing Amenadiel had said would have stopped her when Chloe had confessed to her part in all of this. The little human had never cared about Maze being a demon or Lucifer the devil. She did know, too. Trixie was too smart not to have put it together, not after seeing Maze’s face and, the human had confessed, Lucifer’s hellfire eyes.

Rage coiled in her stomach again, joined by guilt. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t helped Cain. Chloe wouldn’t have found out, wouldn’t have had the chance to allow Kinley into her life if Cain hadn’t gotten Maze to help him. She never should have teamed up with that lowlife. She knew that, had known that from the beginning. But she had just been so hurt, so confused, and she hadn’t been thinking properly.

Linda had helped, after Maze had come to her that day. The day that everything had gone wrong. The doctor had been kind and more than willing to listen to her as she ranted and cried.

_“You’re a demon, Maze.” Linda had said kindly, patching up the wounds that Mazikeen had gained fighting Cain’s men. “I would be surprised if you_ did _know how to handle human emotions. Neither you or Lucifer have the instincts and inherent knowledge that humans gain over their life. But you can’t lash out like this, confused or not.”_

_“Then what do I do?!” she’d screamed._

_Linda had smiled, gently moving ice to a bruise on her face. “You come talk to me. I’ve gotten pretty good at translating human emotions to celestials at this point. I’m sure I could learn to translate it to demon, too.”_

Linda. Linda would be able to help her with this, once Lucifer was safe. And Lucifer would be safe, Maze wouldn’t accept anything else. With another snarled, she went back to pacing the edge of the barrier that kept her from her family, her friend.

That was when the room filled with a blinding light and the ground beneath her trembled. She jumped back, eyes wide, as Amenadiel and a glowing figure appeared in the room. The angel was still moving stiffly, blood trailing from his lips. Otherwise, he seemed okay. Maze relaxed, a tension that she didn’t realize she’d been carrying leaving her body.

Seeing him screaming and convulsing on the floor like that had scared her, in a way she hadn’t known she could be frightened. Despite everything, she still _cared_ about the feathered asshole enough that seeing him in pain hadn’t caused her any pleasure.

Linda would probably be able to help her understand that as well, she thought to herself.

Kinley was stirring on the other side of the room. No doubt the pain from his newly broken legs had helped keep him unconscious for this long. Maze gave the priest a vicious grin. She’d enjoyed causing him pain.

The ground shook again and the building wall creaked warningly. Maze looked at the glowing figure, curious despite the fear that curled in her gut.

Lucifer had described him enough that Maze had no trouble recognizing the Almighty in all his glory.

With a resounding _crack_ , the circle that kept Lucifer contained, had hurt Amenadiel, split and crumbled into dust. The chains that kept him upright dissolved, leaving only the shackles around his wrists and ankles behind. She moved at the same time as Amenadiel, both of them catching him before he hit the ground.

A whimper of pain escaped Lucifer’s mouth as they caught him. Maze felt rage rise in once more as she felt his muscles tremble in a way that indicated immense pain underneath her fingers. Amenadiel gently swept his hair away from his face. The product that generally kept it straight was gone, leaving it a black, curly mess. He’d be indignant about that, when he realized, she thought with affection.

“Take him to the infirmary,” the Almighty said, rage in his voice. A rage that Maze had only ever heard from Lucifer before. “Raphael will be waiting for you there.”

Maze clutched Lucifer to her, not willing to let him go. How could she protect him if he was in the Silver City? Terror filled her at the very thought of leaving him alone.

The snarl that she released hadn’t been on purpose. Lucifer had always been her’s to protect and she had failed him, more than once, in the last few years. What would she have done if he had been destroyed because she hadn’t been there? What if that priest had made it so that they would never have the chance to make up, like they had so many times before?

Kind eyes looked at her. “My word that My son will be safe from all harm while away from you, demon.” the Almighty said. Maze flinched at being addressed, at the pleased look that the creator of the universe was giving her. “In his absence, I am sure My Lightbringer would appreciate your standing watch over the humans he cares for.”

Linda, she thought. Trixie, Ellen, and even Espinoza. They would be without protection with both herself and Lucifer gone. Reluctantly, she let Amenadiel take Lucifer from her and watched as they disappeared from sight. He would be fine now, she told herself. The one thing that Lucifer had ever said in his Father’s favor, was that he would never break his word. It was the one trait that Lucifer ever took pride in sharing with his Father.

She took out her phone. The screen was cracked from when she’d used it in Lucifer’s penthouse. With a quick tap, Linda’s number appeared as the call went out.

“Maze?” Linda answered, sounding much more awake than when she’d called earlier. “Did Amenadiel get there? What’s going on?”

“Call Ellen and Espinoza. Tell them to get to your office ASAP.” She told her. “I’ll explain when I get there.”

“Ella and Dan?” She asked, confused. “What about Chloe? Should I call her?”

Maze snarled with true rage curling in her gut at the name of that traitor. “No.” Without another word, she hung up.

* * *

The Almighty watched her, eyes flashing in some emotion that Maze didn’t know how to place. She nodded at him, uncomfortable underneath his gaze, and retreated.

She would keep their humans safe until Lucifer returned to do so himself.

She would not fail him in this.

Anger, fierce and boiling, filled His entire being. His Mornings Star had been injured, to the point of near destruction. If He had been any later, Lucifer would not long have existed.

He looked at the broken circle and snarled. He knew exactly how that priest had gotten those spells. He did not know what Uriel had been thinking, giving such things to humans. Any of His children that had been placed in these bindings would have befallen the same fate as Lucifer. Had His child truly been so Lost as to give something so powerful to a corrupt priest? If He had been looking, instead of waiting to be surprised, would this have happened?

Uriel’s death had hurt. He had been furious at the time, not with Lucifer who had been back in a corner, but with His Wife, who had brought this pain with Her actions. Even now, when She was in a universe of Her own, He was still dealing with the fall out of her actions. With a thought, He knew that this had been precaution Uriel had put in place. A way to keep Her contained if Her Light began to leak, like it had when Lucifer had sent Her away. Uriel had planned to erase the knowledge after he’d dealt with Her.

God closed His eyes, as grief joined the rage. He turned His attention to the priest that had dared to harm His children. Amenadiel had been injured by that circle as well, He knew. Raphael would treat both her brother’s, He knew. She was too sharp not to notice the signs of pain Amenadiel had hidden from His Lightbringer’s Demon.

With a wave of His hand, William Kinley was pinned against the wall and wide awake. The priest then had the _gall_ to _pray._ To Him. After harming His children, this human was _praying_.

“You dare?” God roared, true fury in His voice. The sky above swirled as His rage summoned a storm, the ground trembled at His fury. “You, who have harmed My child? My Lightbringer? You dare to pray to ME?”

He did not wait for an excuse, for this human to attempt to defend himself. God did not want to hear it. With a wave of His Hand, the human crumpled to the ground, soul removed from its body.

“Father?!” Azrael yelped, appearing as the death of a human called to her. She was still so young, the youngest of all His angels. The baby of the family, He thought affectionately.

“This human is to be taken to the Cells.” He told her, grimly.

She sucked in a breath; eyes wide. No human had ever trespassed enough to rate a trial in Heaven. The last to receive such a thing had been His Wife. “You should visit the infirmary afterward,” He told her, his voice gentle. Lucifer had been Azrael’s favorite sibling. That had not changed since His son’s Fall, He knew.

Fear filled her eyes as she took the soul and with another glance at Him, His youngest left in a flutter of wings.

That taken care of, God destroyed the body that remained behind. He had would deal with the rest of those that had participated in this ritual, that had harmed His child, before he returned to Silver City. First, He would find those that had been in this warehouse, had perform the exorcism magic that He could feel in the room.

Then, He would pay His miracle a visit.

Nodding to Himself, God destroyed the warehouse as He left.

Perhaps it was time to remind Humanity of His Wrath.

* * *

Azrael was afraid.

She’d known something was wrong the moment she felt William Kinley’s death, a full decade before he was supposed to pass. The moment she’d felt the storm above and the earthquake below, she’d known that something truly terrible had happened.

Her Father standing over the body of the human had only cemented that. Being ordered to take the soul, a _human_ soul, to the Cells? That terrified her more than anything had before.

Being told she should go to the infirmary had her wings trembling with fear. Without a care for the comfort of the soul her Father had deemed to be Judged, she tossed it in an open cell and booked it for Raphael’s domain.

The Silver City was filled with anxiety. She could feel the fear and confusion of her siblings as she flew. They had felt their Father’s anger, knew that something truly horribly must have happened. Some she could hear whispering about Amenadiel, how he’d been injured and frantically heading towards their Father’s office only a few hours before.

Terror made her wings work harder. Amenadiel wasn’t one to make a spectacle for no reason.

Crashing into the infirmary, nearly frantic with fear, she’d almost lost it when she saw Raphael frantically working over what could only be Lucifer. He was covered in injuries, his wings were _mangled_ , and her sister was working harder than she’d ever seen the healer move.

Amenadiel was in the corner, fear on his face and blood in his mouth. He was trembling in what she knew was _pain_. He saw her, must have seen the tears she could feel running down her face, and opened her arms.

With a sob, she launched herself at her eldest brother, latching onto him with a desperation she’d never felt before. Even during the Fall, none of their siblings had ever been hurt to this extent. No angel had ever been hurt more than what a few feathers could heal. Uriel had been the one exception, having been killed with her blade after he had seemingly went insane. Trying to kill a _human_? To permanently destroy their Mother?

No one had truly blamed Lucifer for Uriel’s death. They had tried, she knew. Just like they had tried to pretend that his absence hadn’t caused a irreparable whole in their ranks when he’d Fallen. It wasn’t until she had shouted at Gabriel, asking what he’d have done in Luci’s place, that they had all admitted to not knowing what they’d have done differently.

Knowing that Lucifer had his very own cell in Hell now had made it very hard to claim he was evil any longer. She knew that hurt more than pretending that he deserved his sentence had. If he wasn’t evil, then he was just their brother.

And now he was lying there, unconscious and bloody, their sister near hysterical as she worked on him. Raphael had never been one to give in to panic, always conducting herself with a calm that radiated to others. There was none of that calm to be found now.

“He’s going to be okay,” she whispered. “Isn’t he?”

Amenadiel trembled. “I don’t know.”

Raphael remained silent as she worked.

Azrael closed her eyes and sobbed.

* * *

Chloe didn’t move from where she sat on the floor after Maze and Amenadiel left.

She hadn’t known. Hadn’t realized what sending Lucifer back to Hell would mean. She’d never once considered that he’d have to die to get there. Priest exorcised demons all the time, after all. Why would exorcizing the devil be any different?

Except, Maze had snarled, Lucifer had outlawed demon possession millennia ago.

She’d always suspected that ‘possessed’ people had only been mentally ill. Now she had her answer, Chloe thought numbly. She’d sentenced her best friend to death just because she was afraid. She’d ignored everything that she’d learned about him because it didn’t mesh with what she knew about the Devil.

Since when had she doubted her own instincts? Since when had she ignored her gut, which had been screaming at her since the day William Kinley had approached her, telling her that something was wrong. That he ‘evidence’ wasn’t what he made it out to be.

Instead of talking to Lucifer, she’d betrayed him. Poisoned him and left him with a man that would do his level best to kill him. Her best friend, who had saved her life over and over, tried to warn her about Cain more than once, who had _died for her._

_“Oh, I did. I got better.”_

_“Well, you didn’t die after all. That makes one of us.”_

**_One of us._ **

She buried her head in her arms. Why hadn’t she remembered that? Why had it taken Maze and Amenadiel confronting her for her to remember everything that Lucifer had ever done for her. To figure out that he had never lied. Every conversation that they had ever had, he’d never once told her a lie.

Did that make Charlotte his mother? Was Charlotte _God’s_ ex-wife?!

“In a way,” a cold, male voice broke the silence. Her head snapped up, eyes wide.

The door was destroyed from where Maze had broken it down but the figure in her apartment wasn’t near the door. No, he was leaning against the couch, eyes focused on her. Outside, the freak storm that had appeared over LA thundered against her windows. She wondered how Dan was keeping Trixie calm. Her daughter had never been a fan of big storms, though she insisted that she wasn’t afraid of them.

The strange man said nothing else, allowing Chloe to move to her feet as she studied him. He was tall, with dark black hair that almost seemed unnaturally dark. His eyes glowed a beautiful blue that complemented his pale skin. She could see a bit of Lucifer’s features in his face, just noticeable enough to leave no doubt in her mind that they were related.

There was no British accent, though she heard one all the same. She couldn’t place it and suspected that she’d never be able to. If this man didn’t belong to Lucifer’s family, she would be surprised.

“His Father, actually.” The man said, eyes flashing dangerously.

Chloe felt the blood leave her face. Fear made her stomach roil and she wondered if Trixie would be without a mother after this conversation was over. She doubted that Lucifer’s father would be very forgiving for what she had done.

“I did consider it,” God told her darkly, as lightning flash outside. “I have dealt with the other’s responsible already. Your Father Kinley was the first to feel My Wrath, as well as those that aided him in his so-called ‘quest’.”

Chloe felt her mouth dry and her body trembled with fear.

“You though. I don’t know what to do with you,” God moved from where he leaned against her couch. “If not for you, none of this would be happening. My son would likely still be whole and uninjured, not fighting for his life under My daughter’s care.”

Ice filled her veins. Amenadiel had said that Lucifer would return to Hell if he died but the she could hear the true rage in God’s voice that said differently.

“If it had been normal injury, My son would have indeed found himself back in Hell. Not for long, mind. Angels can move between one realm and the next with only a flap of their wings. William Kinley used _Enochian_ magic, however, powered with _your_ blood freely given. The mix was well on it’s way to destroying My child _permanently_.”

_No._ She felt horror join the ice in her veins. She’d never meant that. Never that.

_My fault. All my fault._

“Of that,” God snarled at her. “We can agree. The only reason I don’t smite you where you stand is that My Lightbringer would feel sorrow at your destruction. Should he not live, make no mistake that your existence will be forfeit.”

His words hurt because she knew it was true. Even after what she’d done, what she’d helped do to him, Lucifer would never allow her to be hurt. _And I sold him out to Kinley._

What kind of person was she?

God didn’t respond to her thoughts this time, just remained glowering at her in silence as His rage thundered above and trembled below. She was surprised she hadn’t put it together before. Freak storm and earthquakes coming from nowhere? What else could it have been if not the anger of a celestial being manifesting on earth?

Anger that was directed at her, she thought. Just like that, fear flooded through her. She somehow doubted that just because she wasn’t about to be erased from existence, that she wasn’t going to be punished in some way.

“Correct.” The Creator of the Universe answered her thoughts. “I have half the mind to send you to Hell right now and be done with it. However, that would cause your daughter grief and My son would protest. So, I cannot destroy you and I will not punish your daughter for your actions. I was tempted to bestow Cain’s punishment on you; however, I have come to realize that I was mistaken in how I handled him. While my punishment caused him pain, it allowed him to end the lives of thousands at the same time.”

“My punishment is this: You will never be allowed within the Walls of the Silver City. Upon your death, you shall be confined to Tenth Circle, in a cell that once housed My Wife. You will not be put in a loop, as I want you to _know_ why it is that you are there. None shall be able to visit you, neither demon nor human soul nor angel. You will never reunite with your family in the Silver City and will never inflict your presence on My child again. After a few millennia, I will revisit your sentence when my anger has dimmed, I may allow you visitors.” God locked eyes with her. “But should My Lightbringer die, I will not hesitate to erase you from existence. And it will not be quick.”

Chloe shook from where she huddled on the floor. She wanted to protest but she didn’t dare. She deserved it, really. Lucifer could have been erased from existence because of her, because she refused to believe who he was when confronted with _what_ he was. Even now, God was being merciful because Lucifer would be hurt if she were destroyed or killed.

That knowledge hurt more than the thought that she was never going to see Trixie or her dad ever again after she died. She remembered the way he had struggled to stay awake, knew now that he’d been fighting to breathe properly (not an effect of a _sedative,_ she was so _stupid_ ) and had been worried about _her_. Guilt made tears well up in her eyes.

God stared at her, face unmoving and rage glittering in His own eyes. If someone had hurt Trixie, huge fight or not, she doubted she’d be as merciful as he was being.

Trixie…Trixie _adored_ Lucifer and Maze. Loved flinging herself at Lucifer because she thought it was hilarious as he freaked out underneath her hugs. Had bragged to everyone in her class that the Devil was her mommy’s partner, to the point that her teacher had been worried about Chloe practicing Satanism. She remembered having to explain that it was just her partner’s name and Trixie was confusing him for the real Devil.

How stupid had she been?

Trixie would never forgive her if she knew what she’d done to Lucifer, had been going to do to Maze. Would Maze have had to die to be returned to Hell as well? Had she been going be an accomplice in the murder of two of her closest friends?

“My son’s demon could not have been returned to Hell, in death or exorcism. Should she have died, she would have been destroyed, erased from existence.” God informed her mercilessly. His son’s demon had impressed Him, when she’d curled protectively over His son’s prone form, ready to attack. He thought she would have attacked even Him, if she’d thought Him a threat to Lucifer. That kind of Loyalty was rare, in humans or demons, and the thought of it being destroyed forever, angered Him.

Chloe felt ill. The thought of Maze, demon or not, being gone forever? It made her want to throw up. Another friend she nearly erased from existence because of her stupidity.

“It has been a long time since I have regretted an action,” God told her, seemingly not done with her yet. “You, Chloe Decker, I never expected to be one of those regrets.”

What-?

“Ah, you haven’t been told yet.” He nodded, eyes glinting. The apartment building shook with the Earth and Chloe heard something fall and break from the kitchen. “Penelope Decker was infertile. I sent Amenadiel down to bless her, allowed her to conceive. To have you. A miracle, the first I’ve created in a very, very long time.”

Eyes wide, Chloe stared.

“Did you never wonder why Lucifer could be hurt by human methods? Why his powers did not work on you, like they did the rest of humanity?” God snorted. “It is because you come from a blessed union, Detective Decker.”

Chloe couldn’t think. The world was tilting and spinning as she tried to make sense of that. She was alive because God had wanted her to be. But why? Why her?

The Almighty laughed. It was not a kind laugh, dark and full of malice. “My son. I knew that I was too harsh in My punishment. I was angry and My Lightbringer has always been good at inciting frustration in others. You, yourself, have experienced this I expected. I knew that he would leave Hell around this time. That he would join human society. My son has never been good at connecting with others, and with humans, he struggles even more. His abilities allow him to bring out the desires in all humans and it gets in the way of true relationships. So, I sought to give him a human that he could not merely charm. Give him a chance at creating a real friendship, or perhaps more if you both wished it.”

The look He gave her was even less kind than His laugh had been. “Now I have to wonder if I would not have been better off leaving it alone.”

She had been made so that Lucifer could have someone he’d be able to connect with, without his ‘mojo’ getting in the way. She remembered the hurt he’d displayed during the case where they’d interviewed all his previous lovers. They had dismissed him as unimportant despite the way he’d remembered everything about their encounter, down to their name and even phone number.

Maze had been the only real friend that he’d had before her, she knew. She never heard him talk about anyone else in the years that he’d known her. Linda, Ella, and even Dan, they hadn’t come until _after_ her. What would he do, now that she’d betrayed him? Would he ever trust any of them again? She’d lied to his face, told him that she didn’t care that he was the Devil. And then she’d poisoned his drink and handed him over to someone that had nearly erased him from existence.

Thunder cracked and the earth shook harder. She realized that God hadn’t known the extent of her part. He’d known she drugged him and given him to Kinley, but he hadn’t known she’d lied to him first. Made him think that she didn’t care what he was before she’d betrayed him. Helped nearly kill him.

Linda would kill her, she thought suddenly. Linda, whether she knew or not, had cautioned her against every lying to Lucifer. She’d never outright said it, but Chloe knew, had thought she had known, how Lucifer would take someone lying to him. How had she forgotten that? How had she gone from knowing exactly who he was to trying to send him to Hell, a place she _knew_ he hated?

“You should pray that My son is not broken from this,” God snarled in a renewed rage. “Should he be broken because of you, his feelings on the matter will not stop Me from erasing you from existence.”

Without another word, the Creator of the Universe was gone, with only the trembling Earth and raging storm outside as a sign he had ever been there.

Alone, afraid, and filled with guilt, Chloe cried.

* * *

Linda was concerned and maybe a little afraid. Ella and Dan weren’t any better, Trixie asleep on the couch in her waiting room. Maze had sounded furious on the phone, both times that she had talked to the demon, however there had been an undercurrent of fear during the last call.

Maze had been afraid and that had been enough to get Ella and Dan and Trixie to come running. When the scariest person you knew wanted you in one place, was afraid of something, you did what they wanted. Just because Linda was the only one there that knew that Maze was a demon didn’t mean that Ella and Dan wouldn’t take her fear seriously. Trixie had been the easiest to convince, having a strange hero worship for the demon.

Linda thought of the twelve people Maze had gone through when she’d thought Linda was in danger. Maybe, she conceded affectionately, not so strange.

As if summoned (speak of the demon, the she shall come, Linda thought with a private snicker), Maze appeared through the door with wild, angry eyes.

Thankfully, Ella and Dan knew enough about the demon to freeze, allowing her to survey them. Linda breathed a sigh of relief as Maze looked over each and every one of them, inch by inch, before relaxing. Trixie, as if sensing Maze’s presence, blinked awake.

“Maze!” She shouted before launching herself at the demon. Linda wasn’t sure when they’d repaired their relationship, though they obviously had from Trixie’s reactions today.

  
“Hey, little human,” Maze greeted softly.

Immediately, alarm bells started ringing. Maze didn’t _do_ soft. Not even for Trixie.

“Hey Trixie,” Linda said, keeping her voice calm and even. “Now that Maze is here, it’s time for you to go to bed.”

That had been the deal they’d made, she thought amused. Lucifer had certainly been rubbing off on the girl, she never backed down from a deal once it was made.

Pouting, the child gave Maze another hug before slinking off back to the couch, where blankets and pillows waited for her. Dan, apparently, kept them in his car so he could use them on stakeouts.

As Trixie settled herself back down, the four adults moved to the waiting area. Linda waited until everyone filed out before closing the door and turning on the buzzer. She’d had it installed the fiftieth time Lucifer had come running in, so she’d have a warning, well, before she’d finally got him to respect her other patients. If Trixie opened the door, they’d all hear the buzzer go off.

“Alright,” she said, voice serious. “What’s happened?”

Maze, to her ever-growing fear, hesitated. She kept glancing at Dan and Ella in a way that told Linda this had everything to do with something supernatural. Neither Ella nor Dan was in the know.

The two frowned at her look. Dan looked annoyed while Ella looked hurt at the hesitance. “You can tell us,” she assured, waving her hands in a way that Linda thought was supposed to convey trust but only made her look as if she was flailing about.

Oddly, Maze seemed to relax at the gesture. She took in a deep breath. “You have to promise to freak out.” She glared at them all. “Promise!”

“We’re not going to freak out,” Dan sighed, rubbing his nose. He’d come a long way since he started seeing one of her friends about Charlotte. The misplaced anger that he’d been placing on Lucifer was still there, but Dan acknowledged that it was misplaced now. That was real progress, she knew. “So get it over with.”

Looking at Maze, Linda broke in. “You’ll want to be sitting down for this,” she advised. The only way to prove to them that the supernatural was real was to show her true face. While not as frightening as Lucifer, it was still up there in terms of scary. Something that she knew Maze took real pride in.

Dan rolled his eyes but joined Ella in the waiting seats. Maze took a deep breath and then her face _changed_.

Dan screeched, eyes wide in shock, swearing in Spanish that he very rarely used. Ella joined him, eye blown wide though she didn’t screeched at least.

Maze allowed her face to shift back. “You promised.” She warned them, narrowing her eyes.

Linda took pity on her friends. “Give them a minute, Maze. You know that it can take more than a few seconds for the shock to die down.” She gave her a soft smile, thinking about how the demon had broken into her office.

Maze calmed immediately, smiling brightly at her. It was brittle and looked like it could be destroyed at any moment should Dan or Ella say something wrong.

She didn’t hear the buzzer through the swearing.

“Dad?” Trixie’s voice came through the door, worried. They all turned to stare at her with wide eyes. She looked at the two swear adults and Maze and then grinned. “Did you show them your Halloween mask?!”

Linda’s eyes widened and she turned to give Maze a Look. The demon looked unrepentant before she nodded to Trixie.

The child grinned. “Isn’t it so cool?! We got so much candy because of it.”

Dan stared at his daughter and blinked. Ella burst out laughing, seemingly finding the idea of Maze going around in demon form to get Trixie more candy as hilarious. Which, Linda conceded, it kind of was. The pride on Maze’s face had her breaking down as well.

It was just such a Maze thing to do.

“You should get Lucifer to show you his scary eyes,” Trixie continued, blazing the three of them over with this new knowledge. “None of the bullies in school have bothered me since he showed his eyes to them!”

And Satan had sent a pack of human bullies running with Hellfire eyes because they were being mean to Trixie, she snorted.

“As they should,” Maze said smugly. She seemed to have already known about that.

“Ah, Trix?” Dan cut in. “Not that this isn’t really interesting to know.” The wide eyes and minute twitch of his eyebrow made it obvious to anyone looking that he was still panicking. “But it’s way past your bedtime. You made a deal, you got to stay up as long as you wanted until Maze got here.”

Not that she’d managed to stay awake more than twenty minutes, Linda thought. Dan may not have been the best parent all the time but he knew his daughter well enough to have known that she never would have been able to stay up long.

Trixie sighed. “Okay.”

They waited until the door closed once more and then a few minutes passed that. Maze kept glancing at Dan and Ella, who looked poleaxed. Linda felt sympathy, she really did. It was really hard to come to the realization that you’d been dealing with the Literal Devil and his Literal Right-Hand Demon for years.

“They’re still the same people,” she told them. “They haven’t changed. You just have all the information now.”

It would take time for that to sink in but Trixie’s little revelation had gone a long way to helping. Ella looked like the idea of Lucifer scarring off bullies with Devil eyes was the best thing she’d ever hear. Linda couldn’t blame her; it was pretty amusing.

“Should I offer those kids therapy?” Dan wondered, as he calmed down. His eyes were still blown wide, though. “How do you give therapy to kids scared off by the Devil?”

Maze smirked but said nothing. She seemed much calmer now that the obvious signs of panic were waning. Trixie had no doubt helped a lot; Linda knew. She had been Maze’s first friend and her unwavering acceptance of her mother’s devilish partner and her demon roommate was likely a balm to whatever Maze had in place of a soul.

“Okay,” Ella said. “Okay. You’re a Demon, Lucifer is the Actual Devil, not a method actor. Got it.” She paused. “Holy shit, Pierce was _Cain?!_ ”

Dan froze, and yup, panic back. Linda grimaced. Sometimes, Lucifer’s inability to lie really sucked.

Maze spoke before she could stop the demon. “Yup,” she popped the p. “No worries though, he’s dead for real now. Lucifer made sure of it. Probably enjoying a nice cell in Hell right this moment.”

Dan stared at her. “C-Charlotte?” he asked quietly, stuttering a bit. Linda winced.

Maze grinned. “Enjoying the Silver City. Amenadiel flew her up himself. First-class angelic airfare!”

Linda waited, braced to intercede if needed. Maze might not look worried at all now. Linda, however, was a therapist. She knew that this could go either way and she needed to be ready for if it went the wrong way.

It didn’t. Dan sank back in his chair, looking more relieved than she had ever seen him. The hidden tension that had been there since Charlotte’s death drained away. “Thank God.”

Ella chocked, eyes wide as Dan blinked. Oh yeah, she nodded at them in full sympathy. That whole ‘God is real’ thing was always going to make them pause and blink, from her experience. She still had to sit down and force herself to breathe every once in a while and she’d met God’s Ex-Wife. Actually, so had Dan she remembered in horror. She glanced at him and sighed in relief when it looked like he hadn’t made that connection just yet. She was going to have to take care of that one personally, Linda thought dryly. It wasn’t like Andrew would know what do to if Dan started talking about sleeping with the Goddess of Creation.

Best keep that realization for later, when they dealt with whatever had happened to make this necessary. And something _had_ happened, she knew that much. “Right then. We’ll go into the details of everything you’ve missed later. Now, I think we need to know what this is all about.”

Immediately, Maze lost all humor and went back to looking like a lost, scared child. It was horrifying and Linda felt her blood run cold. Something really bad had happened.

“Little human, away from the door.” She called out. “I can hear you breathing.”

Trixie groaned from behind her office door and they heard her shuffle away. Linda felt apprehension tense her muscles. Maze had no idea what was appropriate for a child to hear or not hear. That she thought this was something that Trixie couldn’t deal with was scary on another level.

Ella and Dan seemed to think the same thing, if their faces were any indication.

Maze looked at them all and finally, she spoke.

Linda almost wished she hadn’t.

* * *

Ella wanted to drive over to Chloe’s house and smack her. Maybe shoot her. She wasn’t sure which, she just knew that she wanted to do _something_.

Mostly, she wanted to go to Lucifer and give him a hug. Maybe wrap him in blankets and possibly bubble wrap. Everyone with eyes knew he was head over heels in love with Chloe. Apparently, he was willing to even disobey the one rule of God’s he _agreed_ with and kill a human for her. While he’d been cleared of Cain’s (and wasn’t that a whole ’nother roller coaster) death by humans, she wasn’t sure what the other angels and his Father thought of it.

She suspected it didn’t matter too much if the storm and earthquakes outside really were His doing like Maze said. Because Lucifer had almost been erased from existence.

_And Chloe had helped it happen._

She heard Dan throwing up in the trash can and wished she could follow his lead. She had spent way too long as a lab rat to get ill over descriptions of injuries, though. Instead, she felt tears track down her face.

Linda was inconsolable, sobbing with her hand over her mouth. Maze looked like a kicked puppy as she admitted the Chloe had been planning the same thing for her. Ella looked at Dan and wondered if he was going to fight for custody of Trixie after this.

Fuck, no wonder Maze hadn’t wanted Trixie to know. How do you tell someone that their mother tried to kill her partner? Was planning on killing one of her best friends? Demon or not, Maze was still a _person_. Actually, being a demon explained a lot about the things that she just didn’t understand about the world. Like hugs.

Ella opened her mouth, maybe to say something to attempt to cheer them all up. She didn’t know as she couldn’t get a single word out. It made sense, she thought, that Maze had gathered them all together. She couldn’t protect Lucifer right now but she could protect them. Hell, God had told her too.

God, who was Lucifer’s father, and probably smiting a lot of people right now. Maybe even Chloe.

She didn’t know how she felt about that. Chloe was ( _had been,_ her anger supplied) her friend, was Tribe. Lucifer was dying, though. Dying because Chloe had helped a psycho poison, kidnap, and torture him. Possibly forever and they’d never see him again.

Her sobs doubled at the thought.

_‘Please,’_ she prayed through her sobs. _‘Please don’t let him die. We need to let him know we still love him. Please, God, don’t let him die.’_

* * *

The Silver City was in an uproar as He returned, twelve humans erased from existence, one damned to Hell, and one to be Judged once Lucifer’s condition was certain.

Someone, perhaps Ezekiel, had filled in the rest of His children in on what had transpired. Someone, likely Azrael, had noticed Amenadiel’s injuries as well. The rage and terror that rippled through the Host nearly had Him reconsidering the punishment inflicted on Chloe Decker.

This was, He knew, His fault. He had place a miracle in His son’s path in hopes of repairing what had broken between them, of giving His son a friend for the first time in eons. Instead, He could lose His son forever.

He should have let His Wife destroy the Miracle when She’d tried. She’d been right to think that the Miracle would only end in pain for Their son, He knew now. He’d thought that She certainty had been provided by Her hatred of humanity. Now He wondered what She’d seen that had warned Her of this outcome.

_‘Please,’_ a prayed whispered in His mind. _‘Please don’t let him die. We need to let him know we still love him. Please, God, don’t let him die.’_

He knew the voice. Ella Lopez, the human that had captured Azrael’s affection, had befriended His Morning Star as well. His son’s Demon had done as bid and went to protect His son’s remaining human friends. They were sobbing, He saw. Linda Martin, who had known for some time who His son was, was inconsolable. Daniel Espinoza was throwing up as He watched. No doubt the human would be horrified to know that He was seeing this. The source of the prayer, Ella Lopez, sobbed once more before leaping at the Demon. Who shuddered but allowed the contact.

He watched as the Child, Trixie Espinoza, crept from the room where she had heard the sound of tears and launched herself at her father, who had stopped throwing up now. She was unaware of the cause for their distress but was sobbing all the same as she tried to find out what happened to cause her guardians to break down.

They knew who His son was and they grieved. He took in a breathe as His anger was soothed. Humanity was not all lost, He thought in relief, these humans showed Him that. His encounter with Chloe Decker had nearly convinced Him that humans were beyond saving. If a human with celestial origin could be such a Mistake, other humans surely had no chance.

As He watched, He stopped the quake of the Earth and the storm that beat down on Los Angeles. These humans did not deserve His wrath.

With a calming breath, He made His way towards His Lightbringer. He needed to check on His Morning Star, know that He would not lose another Child so soon.

Azrael was huddled against Amenadiel, who had been healed. Raphael fluttered about Lucifer, still unconscious though his injuries had decreased, God was relieved to see. Michael stood to the side, fury rolling of his Sword in waves.

Dark black hair that curled every which way, striking features and deep brown eyes stared at the unconscious form on the bed. A form completely identical barring the injuries and the once pure white wings (no mangled and covered with _blood_ -). Instead, Michael was whole with pure black wings that made the feathers nearly impossible to make out for any of non-Celestial origin. Instead of Light, they emitted an all-encompassing Black.

Their first pair of Twins, once closer than any of Their children had ever been. He feared that if Lucifer, once Samael, died then Michael would soon follow. They did not know how far the bond between the twins reached. They could always find their sibling, their other half, and could always tell when the other was injured. Some human twins had been known to die at the same time as the other, He knew. Would that be the same with the First Twins, those Dark and Light of the Universe?

He didn’t know, and that Scared Him.

“I don’t know what to do,” Raphael sobbed to Him, noticing his presence. “He keeps slipping and I can’t heal everything fast enough.”

“He doesn’t want to stay,” Michael whispered before He could speak. God whipped his head to His son.

She lied to him; God remembered in rage. Swore that her knowledge changed nothing before poisoning and giving him over to someone who tortured him. Lucifer had loved Chloe Decker enough to kill Uriel for her and she had thrown him away at first glance of what and who he was. After he killed a Human, against God’s own rules, to save her.

Why would he want to stay in a world where he thought he had no one? God felt ill. He had thrown his son out, furious about his rebellion and his want of Free Will. He had let His son burn to his very soul as he fell and banned him from ever coming home. Eons in Hell. Eons that He knew very little about, too angry to see what His Lightbringer did in Hell. Only ever watching how he’d interacted with humans, seen his use of the free will he had unknowingly been given as God ignored him.

He thought his family hated him, the human he loved betrayed him, the demon he trusted was changing just as much as he, himself, had been. Why would he stay when offered oblivion?

Without a second thought, God moved to His son’s prone form and pushed. Pushed the knowledge of the Demon- _Mazikeen,_ the demon had earned His use of her name- and the other humans he had come to care for. He played Ella Lopez’s prayer over and over again, wanting His son to know that there was something left for him on this plane. That nothingness was not his only option for the pain to end.

He played His own rage, His actions towards those that had harmed him, leaving Chloe Decker out for now. The concern and fear of his siblings, who were desperate for him to live, Michael’s grief and rage as he stared at his twin.

Something weak fluttered underneath His hand, a movement that caused those in the room to gasp. Raphael dived to work, her glee as wounds started knitting together faster vocalized. A victorious shout as His Lightbringer started to fight to live.

Amenadiel joined Azrael in her sobs, laughing in relief. Michael, stoic Michael who had hardened after his twin had been Exiled, cried. The moment life came back into His son’s body, God pulled his hand away.

He thought of the humans and sole demon that feared for His Lightbringer’s life and felt affection rise as He observed them. They had, unknowingly, been the catalyst that had decided Lucifer’s fate.

With one more look, He left His children to care for their brother and decided to answer His first prayer in Eons.

It was the least He could do.

* * *

Dan couldn’t believe it, as he hugged Trixie to him. She was distraught even without knowing the full story. He managed to tell her Lucifer had been hurt but not why or by who. He didn’t think he could do that to his daughter.

He couldn’t believe Chloe had been able to.

A blind and deaf man knew that Lucifer was the furthest thing from evil that you could get. He stole pudding, for fuck’s sake. Pudding! He was the most annoying, oddly endearing, asshole that had ever consulted for the LAPD but he wasn’t evil.

He’d traumatized a bunch of school kids because the hurt Trixie’s feelings. Sure, it was going to take a really long time to deal with the fact that God was real, he was friends with a demon and _Satan_ , and that his ex-wife had apparently decided to dabble in the attempted _murder_. Of Satan. Who was her partner and in love with her.

…What was his life!?!

Shaking his head, he gripped Trixie harder. He could have an existential crisis when Lucifer wasn’t in the process of dying forever. He wondered if he should go pudding shopping for when the consultant pulled through.

He _had_ to pull through. Dan wasn’t sure what they’d all do if he didn’t.

“He will,” a male voice startled them all. Maze snarled and was throwing a knife at the new arrival before Dan could even process that someone had joined them.

The intruder stepped to the side and gave Maze, who had gone deathly pale a kind smile. “It’s not often someone attacks me for the sake of others,” the guy informed the now terrified demon. “Not to worry, I won’t hold it against you.”

That didn’t seem to help Maze, who moved behind Linda in fear. Dan stared at her, wondering if he should take Trixie and run. Someone who frightened Maze enough to hide was not someone he wanted to be on the bad side of.

“Be not afraid,” the male told them as if it became obvious no one was going to say a word. “Are you not going to introduce me, Mazikeen of the Lilim.”

Maze jolted, eyes wide at being addressed. “Humans, Lucifer’s Dad.” She went back to trying to be as small as possible.

Trixie’s eyes jerked up and before Dan could process anything, maybe ever again, she launched herself at God ( _fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!_ ) and proceeded to latch onto his leg, balling.

To God’s credit ( _How the fuck is this his_ life?!), he didn’t seem to mind the fact that a small human child was soaking his pants with tears. Designer pants that seemed very familiar, Dan thought with rising hysteria. Apparently father and son had the same taste in fashion.

Patting her head consolingly, God looked at them all. “He’s going to live.”

Ella collapsed, Linda closed her eyes in relief, Maze looked like she’d been told that murder had been made legal, and Trixie let out the most joyful cry he’d ever heard his daughter make.

Dan decided right then he was filling his fridge with all the pudding he could buy. Maybe cake too. Possibly buying out the section of gummy bears. Trixie wouldn’t mind not getting any for a while, he knew.

The look of joy he got from the Creator of the Universe made him feel as if he’d just had his soul stripped and had been found adequate.

Considering what had just happened to Lucifer and the one most responsible, Dan felt like that was probably exactly what happened. It was pretty reasonable as well. Dan didn’t know if he’d ever let Trixie out of his sight again if someone had done that to her. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t, actually.

“I’m sure he’ll be properly annoyed about it once he recovers,” God told him, smiling. Right. Omnipotent being that could literally do that without being present.

God looked at them all, petting Trixie’s head the entire time. He looked at Ella last. “Thank you,” God told the scientist.

Ella jumped, her eyes wide. “Me?” she whispered. “For what?”

“Your prayer was the push needed,” God told her and the gratitude in his face was telling of just how close Lucifer had been to dying. “We couldn’t get him fight but your prayer, all of your grief, gave him something to latch onto.”

Dan felt the air leave his lungs. Lucifer hadn’t been fighting, God didn’t say. He had been letting himself fade into nothing. Chloe had broken him, he thought with horror. He remembered that conversation, so long ago.

_“How’d you lie to him?”_

_“I didn’t.”_

He felt himself sit, hand to his mouth. The nausea returned in full force. From the look on God’s face, the Lord hadn’t known about that conversation before then.

Lucifer had decided to live because they’d been devastated at the idea of him dying. Ella had prayed and God had used it to show Lucifer that he’d be missed if he left. Chloe might have betrayed him but _they_ hadn’t.

God looked at Trixie, who gave him wide, soulful eyes. She hadn’t made the connection that Lucifer had been letting himself die. She’d been too upset to hear that part. With a brush against her hair, Trixie fell asleep, leaning against God’s leg.

Maze made a noise as if she wanted to retrieve Trixie but was too terrified to move. Dan couldn’t blame her. He doubted that a literal demon interacted with God much.

Said God motioned for her to claim the sleeping girl. With a movement that was almost to fast to see, Trixie was cuddled in Maze’s arms. With another burst of speed, Trixie had been returned to the sofa and the door closed once more.

“Thank you,” God told the demon, who startled once more. Dan wondered if Maze’s nerves were going to survive this conversation.

God looked at him again, amused. Dan tried not to feel too naked as his thoughts were read by the guy who literally created everything. “I can see why the Goddess grew fond of you,” God told him.

Goddess?! Dan couldn’t remember ever meeting a Goddess before. Wait…didn’t Lucifer claim that Charlotte was his _mother?!_

God looked a little guilty. “Only until the pier. After that, Charlotte Richards was returned to her own body as thanks to My Wife for using her form.”

Dan didn’t know how to process that and decided that right now, it would be best to repress it and deal later.

Ella looked decidedly confused, the only one Dan noted as he stared at Linda. Who shrugged apologetically.

He couldn’t blame her for not bringing it up, though. It hadn’t been the time.

“I have found Myself in an interesting position,” God spoke again, this time to all of them. “My son would not have lived if he had not had you waiting for him. Never have I been so grateful to humanity as I am right now. As of right now and forevermore, the gates to the Silver City will never be closed for you.” He turned to look at Maze. “ _Any_ of you.”

Maze stared, her eyes so wide and shocked Dan almost thought she had broken completely. He couldn’t blame her, really. God had just given an all-access card to Heaven to a demon. He doubted such a thing had ever happened before.

“He’s going to be okay, though?” Ella whispered. “He’s definitely going to be okay?”

Four pairs of eyes stared at God in hope. The Deity closed his eyes before looking at them. “I hope so, in time. But he will _live_.”

That was alright, Dan thought with determination. Lucifer had been more than understanding of his rather misplaced anger after Charlotte died (the _real_ Charlotte, apparently). Dan could return the favor, _would_ return the favor after this.

As God vanished from the room, as if He’d never been there, Dan closed his eyes in relief.

Lucifer was going to be hurt, maybe fragile, but as long as he was going to live, they could put up with anything.


End file.
